Negotiation explainer
I’m Thea. I explain how negotiations between countries and groups work, one piece at a time, and I sell glossaries, worksheets, case packs and two video courses.
Read first
Every explainer names the pieces it builds on. Start at the top, choose a route and follow the lines.
Sep 2026
Ceasefires
How a pause is agreed, watched and kept
Branches from Positions and interests · Rejoins at Why a signed deal is not the end
Oct 2026
Aug 2026
Rivers
Neighbours who share water, and the lines between them
Branches from Positions and interests
Oct 2026
Trade
Lists, schedules and who gives what
Branches from Positions and interests · Rejoins at Why a signed deal is not the end
Oct 2026
Why a signed deal is not the end
Nov 2026
Newsletter
One new explainer every Sunday. Each says which earlier piece it builds on, so you can follow a route through them.
What happens after the signing: who checks, who pays and why the real talks often start then. Builds on “Who watches a ceasefire once it starts” and “Trade talks, line by line”.
The long silences in a negotiation, what is going on in them and what brings people back. Builds on “Why the room is set up the way it is”.
How a trade deal is talked through: the list, the schedule, the give and take. Builds on “Positions and interests”.
An invented case of two neighbours and one river, from the first meeting to the last clause. Builds on “Positions and interests”.
The observers, the reports and the long, dull middle of a ceasefire. Builds on “How a ceasefire gets agreed”.
The steps from first contact to a signed pause, told with an invented example. Builds on “Positions and interests” and “Who sits at the table, and who does not”.
Downloads, a course and merch
Downloads arrive by email. Merch is printed to order and shipped by Printful.
Online course
Video course · 8 lessons
From the first approach to the signed paper: eight lessons on how talks are set up, run and closed.
About
I spent most of my working life in rooms where people who disagreed tried to agree. I was a diplomat, and now I am retired, with a study above a harbour, a pot of tea and more time than I had. What I missed most was explaining. People read about talks in the news and are told who won and who lost. They are rarely told how the talks work.
So I write explainers. Each one starts from a plain question: what is a ceasefire, who sits at the table, why do talks go quiet for months. Every piece says which earlier piece it builds on, so you can start at the beginning and follow a route, or jump in where you are curious. I use made-up cases, not real ones, and I do not say who is right. My job is to show how the thing works.
What I sell are the things I use myself: a glossary, worksheets, a case pack for each route and two video courses. I do not sell advice or private lessons. I teach you to read the news about talks and to follow them with a clear head.
